Grosey's Messages

Before I became a Christian there was no way that I would enter a church! I knew what church was like! I had attended a church service once when I was 5. There were 700 people crammed into a small building seating 300. It was hot! It was boring! It was crowded! It was boring and it was boring!

As a young man, growing up in a non-christian family, I was invited by friend to attend a church service. The problem was that my friend stood well over 2 metres tall. He had to crouch to get through doors! And big! His dad was a concreter and my mate Dave was (and is) a mass of muscle!

Dave said to me, “Grosey! If I got to go to church Sunday night, you can come too!” There wasn’t a whole lot of choice in it. Well Dave and I went to church. The third Sunday night that we went along there was this short elderly man in his eighties who was preaching about Eternity. I was interested! But.. we were invited to go along and have a cup of coffee and cake at one of the church members;’ house after church. And there was this little fellow. And he spoke. Again! After he spoke about eternity or something again, he said “Right. Every head bowed, every eye closed! Now! If you want to get to heaven, just put your hand up.”

Well I thought about that for awhile. To get to heaven you just put your hand up.

‘Okay. Sounds easy. Maybe.’

After another five minutes or so (in the mean time three or four people put their hand up, and the preacher said softly and deeply “I see that hand, God bless you!”) I decided to raise my hand. ‘Couldn’t hurt,’ I thought. ‘And , well he said if you put your hand up you go to heaven! Sounds like a good deal!’

“I see that hand! God bless you!”

Another five or ten minutes went bye with the 30 or so people in the room solemnly with bowed head and closed eyes sitting on the floor. I wondered what would happen if I opened one eye and took a peak. Finally the elderly gentleman invited us to open our eyes. Then came words I never expected to hear;

“All those who put your hands up, come out into the back room!”

‘Uh oh… what is this? Didn’t he say of you want to go to heaven just put your hand up? Now he’s adding something extra? I’ve been conned! What are they going to do out there; circumcise me?’

Well we weren’t going out to be circumcised! I placed myself at the tail end of the line of 9 young men aged between 15 and 25 who had raised their hands. Whatever was going to happen, they could all go first!

The elderly man came to where I was standing, stretched out his hand to shake my hand and said the magic words; “What are you?”

I stood there stunned. He said it again “What are you?”

I heard a voice in my head… “Well what are You?”

Discouraged he turned to the next guy and repeated the question; “What are you?”

‘Ha! This guy won’t know!’ I thought, and he answered “Saved!”

I thought to myself ‘What a dumb thing to say.. ‘saved?’ saved from what? How? Who? Him? Why?’

“Well praise the Lord!” The elderly fellow then turned to the next young man in the line.

“What are you?” and he answered “Saved!” Well Praise the Lord, as he shook the young man’s hand.

And to the next “What are you?” and he answered “Saved!”

And then the next “What are you?” and he answered “Saved!”

I thought to myself ‘Hey I get it now, I am supposed to say “saved!” I can do that!’ I waited for the elderly man to finish inquiring of each of the nine men standing in line, so he would return to me. AND HE DIDN’T! I was gypped again! I knew the expected answer now, and there was no one to ask me!

Well my mate drove me home in silence. Dave asked me what had happened in the back room. I told him, “We all got saved, and you better get saved too!” that night those words struck home to Dave, and before he went home he knelt at the side of his mini minor and prayed to receive Christ as His Saviour! And I was just plain confused!

(I did come to know the Lord as my own Saviour over the next 6 months as I read the Bible and trusted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour!)

Have you ever been confused? Have you ever felt gypped? Every felt that you couldn’t figure out this God thing, and when you think you have, you suddenly cop a twist in the story and wind up confused again?

Some people read these words of Jesus and think, “Whoa there, this discipleship thingy isn’t part of the deal! I am saved by grace, I don’t have to DO anything to be a Christian!”

But Jesus did say these words:

Mark 8: 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Is it a con? How are we “saved by grace”, but we are expected to lay down our loves to get it?

The Truth about Discipleship

Discipleship and Salvation

Christ’s invitation to salvation is, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) His call to discipleship is, “Come after Me” (Mark8:34).

Salvation is about the Cross of Christ (Mark 8:31) while discipleship is about your own cross (Mark8:34).

At salvation, you receive a gift, eternal life; in discipleship, you give a gift, your body (Mark8:35).

Look at this chart:

1. Discipleship and Salvation

Is Discipleship the same as becoming a Christian? Can you be a Christian but not go all the way and be a disciple? Well let’s think about some basic truths first:

Discipleship doesn’t save; God does

Jonah 2:9 “Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

John 1:11-13 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Salvation is found in a person, not in a formula!

Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Taking your cross doesn’t save; Christ dying at the cross does

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

2 Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

But, if you are not a disciple you are not a Christian!

If you are not obedient to the faith, you have never experienced saving faith.

Because Salvation is found in a Person and not in a theory, when a person comes to that Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, a whole new relationship begins. Repentance is turning from our ways and turning to Him as the Saviour and Redeemer. It is turning from the mess we made of our lives, and inviting Him to take over that mess and lead our lives in the best way He knows how, and He does know the best way how!! When a person turns to the Lord Jesus Christ, they can NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

They become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Old things pass away, everything becomes new!!

I remember the day I was really “saved!” I woke up the next morning singing “Everything is beautiful!” and it was! I was surprised at the beauty of the creation around me! Why? Because I had a whole new way of seeing life. I was Forgiven! I was pardoned! I was a child of God! I had peace with God through what the Lord Jesus had done at the cross! Heaven above was softer blue, earth below a sweeter green, something lived in every hue, Christless eyes had never seen, Since I knew as then I knew I was Christ’s and He is mine!

DL Moody a famous evangelist had a similar experience :

“I remember the morning on which I came out of my room after I had first trusted Christ. I thought the sun shone a good deal brighter than it ever had before. I thought that it was just smiling upon me, and as I walked out upon Boston Common and heard the birds singing in the trees, I thought they were all singing a song to me. Do you know? I fell in love with the birds. I had never cared for them before. It seemed to me that I was in love with all creation. I had not a bitter feeling against any man and I was ready to take all men to my heart. If a man has not the love of God shed abroad in his heart he has not yet been regenerated."

Now that brings us to a bigger chart:

2. Discipleship and Sanctification

Discipleship and Sanctification are the work of God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit and the Believer.

Sanctification is the big word that means make holy and different. When you come to jesus you can never be the same again. That is because first of all;

There is the work of God the Father in Sanctification

Method	Bible	Application
Chosen to holiness	he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Ephesians 1:4	God chose that you should be holy right from the foundation of the world. He chose that you should be a disciple of Jesus. Better get in on His plan!
Recreated heart	Jer 31:33 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. Ezekiel 36, Eph 4:24	Do you feel bad about your sin? God has put His law in your heart and He wants you to change.
Raised from spiritual death to new life	Ephesians 2:1-10	You were dead in your sin! God raised you from Spiritual death and put Spiritual life into you!
Change heart and mind granting repentance	2 Tim 2:25 God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.	Phil 2: 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. It is God’s work! He will do it! Phil 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Chastising and trials	Romans 8:28,29	Heb 12:1-18 participate willingly in God’s discipline. If you kick against it, it will only hurt you more!

There is the work of God the Son in your sanctification;

Method	Bible	Application
Union in death	Read Romans 6 Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Rom 6:11	Somehow, when the Lord Jesus was on the cross your old sin nature was nailed with Him there. You were united with Him in death, and that old you is now gone!
Union in resurrection	1Peter 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,	It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead that is at work inside you!
Motivation to Love	1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

There is the work of God the Holy Spirit in you.

Did you notice that his name begins with “Holy”. That is what He intends to make you!

Method	Bible	Application
Regeneration/ Spiritual life	2Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Renewal	Titus 3: 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Rom 8: 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Indwelling	“to enlighten the eyes of the understanding” (Eph 1:18), that we may know the things freely given to us of God (1Cor 2:12)
Fruit of the Spirit	Gal 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Filling With Spirit	Eph 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Strengthened	Eph 3:16-19 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith

Why don’t you fill in the application box for what that will mean for you!

And there is your work in you.

The work of the believer in sanctification and discipleship.

It is a cooperative partnership to make you a holy sanctified disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Phil 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Method	Bible	Application
Renewing the mind	Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, Col 3: 2  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.	Read God’s word! Let it renew your mind!
Taught by fellow believers	Ephesians 4:11-16	That us what we do at church! We build each other up in love.
Serving the people of God	Heb 10:24,25	Don’t forsake going to church. We need one another
Bible	John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth,” Col 3:10 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.	Get God’s Word into you. It is life changing. Read it each day!
Apply Scripture to heart Rom 8: 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.	Phil 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.	Submission, confidence, self-denial, patience, and meekness, as well as faith, hope, and love, are called forth, or put to the test, more or less effectually every day the believer passes on earth.
Conversion, Repentance and obedient Discipleship	Rom 1:5 to bring about the obedience of faith	Mark 8:34, And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Abiding in Christ	John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Put off the old man and put on the new man	Col 3:1-17

It is as you walk with Him that you become holy!

Mark 8:34, And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

So how does all this work out when Jesus calls you to become a disciple?

3. Discipleship And Its Seriousness

Discipleship is serious business.

1. Discipleship involves self-denial.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself,

Denying yourself means that you deny that you can sort out your life. Jesus calls you to turn from your mess and turn to Him. He is the only One who can take out your trash!

2. Discipleship involves servanthood.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself,

Denying yourself means that you are letting Him be the boss.

There were Old Testament rules for when someone got into debt. There can be crushing debt that you cannot get out from under. Proverbs tells us that the borrower is the slave to the lender, and we experience that every day with our banks: the bank loans us money for a house, and we spend all the rest of our days worrying about repaying that debt. We wear the slave mark that says “Owned by the CBC!” or “NAB” or “ANZ”.

In Old Testament times, if things got bad, someone could sell himself out to a boss as a slave on one third the wages of a normal hired hand. But the boss would look after his food, clothing, shelter and family. It really wasn’t such a bad deal for a Jewish “slave’. Not only did he get looked after for 6 years, but at the end of it, he got to keep some of the stuff he had earned!

Deuteronomy 15: 12  “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed.

And if he got a good master.. some folks wouldn’t want to leave! Why leave if your boss looks after food, clothing, work and healthcare? It sounds a bit like the Army, or the Public Service!

Well if the slave liked the new deal, he could arrange to stay past the 6 year time limit.

Deuteronomy 15:16,17 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.

So if you saw someone walking down the street with a hole in his ear, you would have said “Man he must have a good master! I better remember that guy’s name! I may need a job one day!!”

Have you got a good Master? Is Jesus a good master? Hasn’t He loved you and cared for you and lead you along the way as your trusted in Him? That was why Paul loved to call himself “A bond-servant of Christ Jesus (Rom 1:1). He knew where to get a good deal! Will you serve Him?

3. Discipleship involves sacrifice.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross.

It costs to be a Christian!

The word sacrament comes from the Roman legion’s “sacramentum” a yearly ritual of a soldier offering incense to a bust of Caesar and declaring “Caesar is Lord!” It was understood that by offering that incense the soldier was vowing faithful service to Caesar even to die for him.

This sacrifice and oath was later required of every person within the Roman Empire. Of course, that brought Christians into conflict with the Empire. For a Christian the only declaration that could be made was “Jesus is Lord!” and all others are pretenders to the throne! He alone was worthy.

Have you made that sacramental vow to the Lord Jesus? As we share in communion, the Lord’s Supper, there is a sense in which this Sacrament is our opportunity to say “Jesus is Lord! And I will follow Him even until death!”

4. Discipleship involves sharing.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

The word sharing, means fellowship, communion, a getting to know one another at the deepest of levels. Jesus invites you to such a fellowship. Jesus said “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. (John 17:3)

He wants you to experience fellowship with Him as you walk along following Him.

Will you be a disciple of Jesus? If you are a Christian you are a disciple. You have entered a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and you can never be the same again!

# posted by Groseys messages @ 12:21 PM